Articles

Final Conference

The Future of NZEB in EU sport facilities

The Future of NZEB in EU sport facilities was the topic of the n0e-sport Final Conference held in Florence on the 24th November 2016. (Conference Agenda)The Conference was the chance to take stock of project results and to look towards the future, towards its legacy and potential long-term impact.In this context, the conference brought together speakers from each of the key target groups identified within the project: policy makers, sport facility owners and managers, technicians and facility users.Over 60 participants took part in the event, hosted in the headquarters of the Regional Government of Tuscany in the heart of Florence.The conference welcomed the input of two Italian sporting olympic champions, who are now involved in training youngsters in their respective sports: Giacomo Galanda, Basket Ball player and now team manager and Leonardo Binchi, Water polo player and now Trainer of a Florentine Water polo team. The key message from both of them was the importance of engaging with youth, the sports men and women and citizens of the future, and of working in a team. They also stressed the need to change management models: sports teams can no longer rely on big sponsorship deals, but they have to find other ways to maintain and improve their facilities.

Partners and stakeholders presented recommendations and guidelines for future NZE sports facilities, on the basis of experience from the n0e-sport project and pilot actions.The conference wrapped up with an interactive session, asking members of the audience to provide their suggestions for optimal energy saving measures in sports hall that they are involved in, as a manager or as a user.A study visit concluded the event. Participants visited San Marcellino Swimming Pool, to see for themselves the improvements made thanks to the implementation of energy efficiency solutions during the pilot phase. Partners of the n0e-sport project visited San Marcellino during the project kick-off meeting three years ago, so this was a chance to compare before and after. The visit focused on the technical equipment that has been installed, from the boiler room to the water depuration system. The managers of San Marcellino, B-SIDE, have invested in a number of energy saving measures and have seen significant economic benefits, also thanks to the new contractual agreements established with the Municipality of Florence (laid down within n0e-sport). Therefore, they are analysing further opportunities for energy efficiency measures.